


A Hard Days Night

by CosmahCosmo



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Feels, M/M, Past Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Steve Rogers, Sick Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-05-24 08:44:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6148021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmahCosmo/pseuds/CosmahCosmo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When an Influenza outbreak hits New York,  will Steve Rogers be able to stand it? Will Bucky be able to provide the medicine Steve needs?</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Hard Days Night

Steve Rogers awoke to the loud sound of the rickety door to their apartment being shut. He slowly heaved himself up, leaning against the back of the couch and straining to catch his breath. His chest felt heavy and burned with each short forced breath. He let his tired eyes roam towards the door and he internally smiled at the sight of his boyfriend.

Bucky gave him a small and caring grin, as he removed his boots at the door. He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it to the floor, as he moved over to Steve, gently sitting down on the couch next to him. Bucky placed his large hand to Steve's forehead,  eyebrows furrowing at the hot temperature he felt radiating off the smaller boy. 

He knew it was bound to happen. Steve attracted illnesses like honey attracted flies.  As soon as he saw the headline " **Influenza Outbreak Affects Hundreds** ", he knew Steve was bound to catch it.  Even after all the precautions he tried to take. _"I'm kind of tired, let's just stay in tonight." "Here wear my jacket today." "No Steve, stay here and relax for a while, get some drawing done. I'll run down and get some groceries."_

Alas, Steve was still constantly exposed to the illness at work and the windows of their apartment did little to nothing to help keep the cold November draft from getting in, even with the towels he bunched up around the crack between the window pane and the window sill.

"How are you feeling punk?"

"Fine...." Steve lied. He paused before continuing, taking time to observe Bucky's facial features. "You look exhausted."

"I wouldn't be talking." Bucky flashed him a grin and let out a small chuckle.

"You shouldn't be taking in all of these extra shifts Buck, you'll get yourself sick."

"Well I'm not sick, you are. You're also out of work because of it so, the sooner you get better, the better." Bucky immediately regretted his decision to see that, seeing the guilt in Steve's glassy and irritated eyes.  
There was a moment of silence that swept over the conversation and for a second he thought that maybe Steve had fallen back to sleep.

"Did you get any rest last night?" Steve asked at a barely audible volume. Bucky couldn't tell if Steve's sore throat or guilt had caused the change in volume but, either way he didn't like it.

"Yeah, I slept like a baby."

"Don't lie to me. I'm not some fragile guy, I can handle a bit of honesty."

Bucky felt himself quickly becoming irritated. Steve was fragile and yeah, sure maybe he could take the honesty but, he didn't need too, at least not I'm his condition. Still, he found himself blurting out the truth, letting the words fall from his opened mouth.

"I slept an hour or two, okay?! Is that what you want to hear Steve?! You can't expect me to get a full nights rest when the man I love is lying beside me, riddled with a fever and trembling!" His voice raised as he said this. Bucky ran some fingers through his hair like he usually did in stressful situations.

"Was I really that bad?"

"It was like sleeping next to a god damn paint shaker." He sighed. "Look, I don't mind it though. Your health is my top priority right now Rogers."

Steve whipped his head towards him, and winced at the stabbing pain and dizziness he felt after.  "You can't keep taking care of me all the time! You've got to focus on yourself! Why don't you skip that extra shift tonight and go get some rest. I'll sleep here tonight." He lightly patted the couch and smiled. 

"I need to go in!" Before he could realize what he was doing the words started to tumble out from him yet again. "I got to get get you that medicine! I was reading that stuff in the paper- about the influenza pandemic- and you could die Stevie! You need those meds. You keep getting worse and pretty soon I'm going to have to bring you to the hospital....."

"We can't afford the hospital bills and you can't keep working like this! I-I'll be okay in a couple of days and then I'll be right back to working. You just need to calm dow-" Steve's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a harsh coughing fit. The kind that rattles your whole body and leaves you gasping or, in Steve's case, triggers an asthma attack.

"Shit..." Bucky murmured, running to grab Steve's almost expired inhaler from their shared bedroom.

He jogged back into the small living room, flopping down onto the couch and grabbing Steve, pressing him against his chest. He shoved the inhaler into Steve's mouth after giving it a harsh shake. After administering it for a second time,  he tossed it to the side and leaned forward to whisper into Steve's ear.

"Copy my breaths. Slowly... In and out." Bucky deeply breathed, letting Steve mimic his chest movements.

"Thanks Buck." Steve breathed out, slumping back against him.

"Anytime Stevie, just try to relax. I'll get you something to eat, we should have a can of Campbell's lying around somewhere in the kitchen."

"M'not hungry..." Steve let out a quiet yawn, turning and snuggling in towards Bucky.

"Fine but, as soon as you wake up you need to eat something but, for now let's just get you to bed. The couch really isn't the best spot for you right now."

Steve only hummed in response as Bucky lifted him up bridal style. The blanket that was once tightly wrapped him,  began slipping off as Bucky gracefully moved around their apartment towards their bedroom.

Bucky let out a long over due sigh when Steve started vigorously shivering, his teeth chattering in long intervals.

As soon as he was placed onto the bed,  Steve immediately latched back onto the blanket burrowing himself into it. 

The blanket was a red and black plaid one, worn out from years of use. A couple of small holes could be seen and the fleece was thinning more and more each day. It would probably need to be thrown away soon and replaced with a newer one.

Then again, most of their possessions needed replacing. The soles of Bucky's boots had been slowly ripping for months and Steve's winter hat and gloves had definitely seen better days, maybe that's why he caught that illness so soon.

"Buck..." Steve mumbled, peeking his head out of the opening of his blanket cocoon, his blond hair sticking up. He let out a few stray coughs and sniffles and then closed his eyes in exhaustion. Bucky could tell that he was going to nod off at any moment. "Are you going to stay home?"

"Night Steve." Bucky said while leaning down to give the smaller guy a gentle kiss on the forehead. He gave a half smile as he exited the room to the sound of small snores.

The rest of the evening went along slowly. Bucky cooked up one of the last cans of soup Steve and left if on the night stand with a glass of water for when he woke up.

He scrubbed some dishes and dug around for a few more old towels to tuck near the window pane.

He casually munched on some, some-what stale bread with butter before slipping on his jacket and heading off to the docks to work.

The night brought him chapped hands from the cold, red and irritated from labor. The night also brought him extra pay and in the end, his sore and tired hands were worth it. Especially when he noticed that they finally had enough money saved up for the medicine.

As soon as the sun peeked over the horizon, Bucky ran down to the pharmacist, making sure he was the first costumer. He couldn't help the proud smile that spread across his face as he bought the bottled pills and liquid Steve needed.

When Steve woke up that morning to Bucky's large hands softly shaking him, he knew something was up. He looked up curiously at the face splitting grin on Bucky's face and the glass of water and a spoon in his hands.

"Here you go, punk. Just what the doc ordered." Bucky said quietly, his voice still brimming with excitement. He tossed a bag towards Steve and urged him to open it.

Steve's small blue eyes went wide as the sight of the contents. He looked up at Bucky in disbelief and spoke. "How did you get these?"

"With cash of coarse. You know for a smart guy you can be really stupid." Bucky chuckled and handed him the glass. "Hurry up and take them. The sooner you feel well, the better."

"I'm hurrying." Steve gave a small involuntary cough causing, Bucky to rub a hand across his back, soothingly.

He reached into the bag with shaky hands,grabbing the bottle of pills and slowly undoing the cap with only a small amount of struggling.

Taking two pills out and placing them into his mouth, he took a sip of the water and winced as the pills went down his sore throat.

Bucky gave him a small encouraging smile as he handed of the spoon for the liquid medicine, watching Steve pour some and scowl at the poignant taste.

Bucky slid into bed next to Steve, still in his work clothes, and let the other boy snuggle into his chest. He could feel Steve's hot breathes against his chest as he wrapped an arm around him.

For the first time in a week Bucky actually passed out before Steve, filling the once silent room with vociferous snores.

Steve wrapped his arms around Bucky's waist pulling himself closer to him. He closed his eyes and yawned, letting his body sink into Bucky's warmth.

"Thanks Buck...I love you..."

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if this is horrid it's my first Steve fic! Let me know if you guys have any story ideas, I'd love to hear them!


End file.
